Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yodarlene’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yodarlene’, characterized by its compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong to obovate-shaped ray florets; purple-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering about September 20 th  in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Yodarlene’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium,commercially grown as a garden Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred toby the name ‘Yodarlene’.

The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-typeChrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirableinflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good gardenperformance.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made by theInventor in January, 2001, in Salinas, Calif. of a proprietary selectionof Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 98-M307, notpatented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection ofChrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 98-M394, notpatented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum wasdiscovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plantwithin the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlledenvironment in Alva, Fla. in October, 2003.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative cuttings wasfirst conducted in Alva, Fla. in December, 2003. Asexual reproduction bycuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemumare stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Yodarlene have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yodarlene’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yodarlene’ as a new and distinct gardenChrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.    -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.    -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.    -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong to        obovate-shaped ray florets.    -   5. Purple-colored ray florets.    -   6. Natural season flowering about September 20^(th) in the        Northern Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent selection in thefollowing characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered later than plants of        the female parent selection when grown under natural season        conditions.    -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than        plants of the female parent selection.    -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were purple in        color whereas ray florets of plants of the female parent        selection were yellow in color.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parent selection in thefollowing characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more mounded than plants        of the male parent selection.    -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the male parent selection        differed in inflorescence form.    -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences        than plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivarYojillian, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No.11/641,400, filed concurrently, primarily in time to flower and rayfloret coloration.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of theChrysanthemum cultivar Yopatricia, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No.11,907. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants ofthe new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Yopatricia inthe following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than plants of        the cultivar Yopatricia.    -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered earlier than plants        of the cultivar Yopatricia were grown under natural season        conditions.    -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences        than plants of the cultivar Yopatricia.    -   4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Yopatricia        differed in ray floret coloration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of thenew Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describethe colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a side perspectiveview of a typical flowering plant of ‘Yodarlene’.

The photograph at the top of the sheet is a close-up view of typicalinflorescences of ‘Yodarlene’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Fletcher, N.C. during the summerin an outdoor nursery and under conditions and practices whichapproximate those generally used in commercial garden Chrysanthemumproduction. During the production of the plants, day temperaturesaveraged 29° C. and night temperatures averaged 16° C. Plants were grownin 15-containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions and pinchedabout two weeks later. About two weeks after the pinch, thephotoinductive short day/long night treatments were started. Plants usedin the photographs and for the description were about three months old.In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar    Yodarlene.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of            Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 98-M307,            not patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of            Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 98-M394,            not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at temperatures of            about 21° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About ten to twelve            days at temperatures of about 21° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching.-   Plant description:    -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.            Stems upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly            mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching habit,            about six lateral branches develop after removal of terminal            apex (pinching) each with numerous secondary laterals; dense            and full plant habit. Strong and vigorous growth habit.        -   Plant height.—About 18.5 cm.        -   Plant width.—About 27 cm.        -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 17 cm. Diameter: About 8 mm.            Internode length: About 1.5 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture:            Pubescent. Color: 144A overlain with 183C.        -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About            4.8 cm. Width: About 4.5 cm. Apex: Broadly acute. Base:            Obtuse with cordate tendencies. Margin: Palmately lobed,            sinuses between lateral lobes mostly parallel. Texture,            upper and lower surfaces: Fine pubescence; veins prominent            on lower surface. Color: Developing and fully expanded            foliage, lower surface: 147A; venation, 147B. Developing and            fully expanded foliage, lower surface 147B; venation, 147B.            Petiole: Length: About 1.3 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm.            Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper            and lower surfaces: 147B.-   Inflorescence description:    -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with            elongated oblong to obovate-shaped ray florets.            Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk and            ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.            Inflorescences moderately fragrant.        -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants            flower about September 20^(th) in the Northern Hemisphere.            At other times of the year, inflorescence initiation and            development can be induced under short day/long night            conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Early            flowering habit; plants exposed to photoinductive short            day/long night conditions flower about 56 days later.        -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color            and substance for about 3.5 weeks in an outdoor nursery.        -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 30 to 31 inflorescences            develop per lateral branch.        -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1 cm. Diameter: About            1.1 cm. Shape: Oblate. Color: 75B.        -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4 cm. Depth (height):            About 1.6 cm. Disc diameter: About 2 mm; inconspicuous.            Receptacle diameter: About 1.5 cm. Receptacle height: About            4 mm.        -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong to obovate.            Orientation: Initially upright, then about 45° to 60° from            vertical; eventually perpendicular to peduncle. Aspect:            Initially incurved, then mostly concave. Length: About            1.6 cm. Width: About 6 mm. Apex: Slightly emarginate. Base:            Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:            Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of ray florets per            inflorescence: About 120 arranged in about ten to twelve            whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: 78C. When            opening, lower surface: 75D. Fully opened, upper surface:            71A; color becoming closer to 78B to 78C with development.            Fully opened, lower surface: 78B to 78C; color becoming            closer to 69C with development.        -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Length: About 3 mm.            Diameter: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per            inflorescence: About ten. Color, immature: Apex: Close to            7A. Mid-section: Close to 7C. Base: Close to 157A. Color,            mature: Apex: Close to 7A. Mid-section: Close to 4C. Base:            Close to 157A.        -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 16            arranged in about one or two whorls. Length: About 6 mm.            Width: About 3 mm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base:            Truncate. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture,            lower surface: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to            137C. Color, lower surface: Close to 137B.        -   Peduncles.—Length: About 4 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle:            About 45° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture:            Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to 148A.        -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen number: About five            per floret. Filament length: Less than 1 mm. Filament color:            Close to 145D. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther shape:            Oblong. Anther color: Close to 11A. Pollen amount: None            observed. Gynoecium: Pistil length: About 4 mm. Stigma            shape: Bi-parted. Stigma color: Close to 1C. Style length:            About 1 mm. Style color: Close to 1D. Ovary color: Close to            157D.        -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.-   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to    Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under    commercial conditions.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have    demonstrated excellent garden performance and to tolerate    temperatures from about 0° C. to about 38° C.

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yodarlene’ asillustrated and described.